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Alliance of the Damned
The Alliance of the Damned was a precursor to the Zarakkanian Empire that later ruled over much of the known galaxy during the early Second Era . The alliance was founded by residents of the planets Zarakk and Marqui’so , each of which represented the planet of First Contact for the other. The Alliance of the Damned is recognized as being responsible for the extinction of at least three intelligent (but not spacefaring) species on two planets before its abrupt termination and the rise of the Zarakkanian Empire. A Dying Planet Prior to the formation of the alliance, scientists on Zarakk had calculated that, based on growing population density and resource depletion, the planet would only be able to support its principal race for approximately 500 more Zarakkanian Years. The planet descended into anarchy before the discovery of intelligent, extra-planetary communications sparked the creation of a global government dedicated to finding and colonizing other life-supporting planets. First Contact First Contact was initiated by the Zarakkanians late in the First Era, though the exact date has been lost to history. Scientists on Zarakk had been intercepting and attempting to decipher media signals from Marqui’so for approximately 5 Standard Years before pinpointing the location of the messages’ origin. It took approximately 75 additional Standard Years before the Zarakkanians developed faster-than-light travel technology and were able to initiate physical contact. Formation of the Alliance It is widely believed that the Zarakkanians intended to exterminate the Marqui’si and colonize the planet immediately. While the first Zarakkanians to arrive on Marqui’so and contact the natives were a scientific delegation, surviving records indicate that a small fleet of military-class ships also made the journey but parked outside the star system to await further orders. Upon arrival, the Zarakkanians found an intelligent population and a seemingly habitable planet, but discovered that Marqui’so itself was so depleted of resources that it was doomed to a similar fate as Zarakk. The Marqui'si were as desperate as the Zarakkanians to escape their home planet and colonize others. It was discovered that the messages that had been received on Zarakk were actually distress signals; Marqui'so was only expected to sustain intelligent life for another 300 or so local years. The Marqui’si had developed advanced theories of terraforming and identified planets in several neighboring star systems as candidates for colonization, but had yet to develop the faster-than-light technology necessary for execution of these plans. The leader of the Zarakkanian expedition noted an opportunity for mutual benefit. Rather than conquer the Marqui’si as originally planned, the delegation from Zarakk instead negotiated an alliance between the two planets. The Zarakkanians agreed to share their knowledge of faster-than-light travel in exchange for the Marqui’si agreeing to share their knowledge of identifying life-supporting planets and theories for terraforming. Colonization and Concern Over the next 150 Standard Years or so, the Alliance of the Damned colonized eight planets. During this time period, the alliance came to the attention of other spacefaring cultures. Incomplete records indicate that two of the colonized planets had already supported a total of three intelligent races, but that none had yet developed to the point of spacefaring or attempts at extra-planetary contact. This wanton destruction of races led to economic sanctions being imposed by Adelphia and its allies, but no military actions against the alliance. The newly appointed Marqui'si Ambassador to Adelphia, Marsu'qar , publicly maintained that Marqui'so had never approved of the destruction of other races. Surviving records are inconclusive in this regard, but the Adelphians were unswayed. Termination of the Alliance The Alliance of the Damned ended without warning when the Zarakkanians abruptly turned on their allies. What followed was the systematic, rapid, and complete elimination of the Marqui'si race. The Extermination of the Marqui’si represents a pivotal moment in galactic history as it immediately preceded the declaration of the Zarakkanian Empire.